She had a reputation to protect, and I suspected that she didn’t want anyone to know that we’d slept together.
Though she did have a reputation, according to the studio and the tabloids, the truth was I didn’t care what anyone else thought.
I’d spent time with her and gotten to know the real Harper Madison, and she wasn’t like anything everyone claimed.
I’d heard the rumors. I chose to ignore them.
Her eyes tightened, and she pulled back. “I don’t need your help,” she said.
Harper stood and dusted her hands and knees off, the skin on her knee scraped with a small trace of blood that could use to be cleaned up but wouldn’t require stitches.
“How about I take you to your trailer and find a first-aid kit?”
She snorted and stepped back. “Leave me alone.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “I’m just trying to help.”
“I don’t want your help.”
That was obvious. I held my tongue. There was no point in arguing with her when she was already mad at me. I knew it wouldn’t go over well if she found out that I was her bodyguard.
Did she realize that I’d been hired to keep an eye on her off-set, or was she just mad that I was part of the Eagle Tactical team and ran security for the production?
Shit.
Did it matter?
She probably never wanted to see me again, and I had to keep an eye on her tonight. If I couldn’t do it, I could ask Jaxson or one of the other guys, but she’d know they were hired as her bodyguard, and I doubted she’d be on board with the company.
Harper blew past me for her trailer.
I needed to give her space. If she wanted to be left alone, it wasn’t my job to hover over her and help. I may have tried to protect her, clean up her skinned knee, and hug her, but she wasn’t a little kid.
I had to respect that she probably wanted nothing to do with me.
Jaxson strolled over, his hands buried in his jacket. He nodded at me while glancing at Harper’s trailer.
“Everything okay?”
“Couldn’t be better. How’s Ariella doing?” I asked. I hadn’t seen her this morning and wanted desperately to talk about anything else. The least I could do was ask about her after what she’d been through yesterday.
His eyes narrowed, staring at me. He could probably see right through my facade, but he didn’t say anything further about Harper. “She’s recovering,” Jaxson said. “I suggested she speak to a therapist but you know Ariella. She’s tough and likes to think she can handle everything on her own.”
“She’s been through a lot,” I said. That wasn’t a bad idea, her seeking counseling. “Talking with someone could definitely help. And her ex-husband, Ben? Was he caught?”
I had hoped they had put the bastard behind bars.
“There’s been no sign of him. Police have an A.P.B. out, but the sheriff hasn’t reached out. He’s out there, somewhere.” Jaxson’s brow furrowed.
“The police will find him.”
“Yeah,” Jaxson answered gruffly.
“What about Mason? How’s he doing?” I asked.
“Mason’s back in the office. The doctor told him he could do desk work for the next two weeks until he goes back again for another checkup.”
It was good to hear that Mason was doing better. It was pretty tough to see what he’d been through and losing his uncle couldn’t have been easy either.